Taiwanese to promote Medical Tourism in China

The Beauty and Healthcare Tourism Promotion Association of Kaohsiung City will visit Beijing to attend a cross-Taiwan Strait medical tourism alliance conference in late October to promote its health care services, the association's president, Tsao Shi-bin, said Friday.

Tsao said the association will use the occasion to promote southern Taiwan's health care and tourism sectors to Chinese government officials and representatives of civic organizations.

The main purpose of their planned trip to Beijing is to introduce the quality medical tourism services offered by the many mid- and small-scale clinics in the southern port city and spark interest among Chinese tourists seeking micro cosmetic surgery, health exams and sightseeing in Taiwan, according to Tsao, who runs a plastic surgery clinic in the city.

Association Director Chen Chun-tin said the upcoming conference in Beijing came after the association signed an agreement on medical tourism cooperation with a private health care group in China earlier in July.

Under the pact, Chinese tourists will enter and leave from southern Taiwan when they visit the island for medical tourism.

The association consists of representatives from local medical institutions, clinics, hotels, the catering industry and restaurants, and travel agencies.